Indie distributor Gravitas Ventures has picked up intriguing award-winner The Legend of Tayos, a Galo Semblantes motion picture that takes an outrageous legend and makes it seem even more outrageous. 

The film centers around the claims of a Hungarian explorer, Janos Moricz, whose exploration of a cave deep inside the Ecuadorian Amazon in the late 60's leads him to claim having discovered what he claims to be a "Gold Library." However, having returned to civilization without the evidence in an effort to procure a public deed first, after first acquiring support from the government for an expedition he loses that support and spends the rest of his life trying to get the recognition he deserves so that he can return to the cave and retrieve the discovery that he claims will alter our view of history. 

The Legend of Tayos contains a story that would be right at home inside an Indiana Jones film, though as directed by Galo Semblantes this is a documentary that is heavy on history, even heavier on facts, and more interested in myth-building than action sequences. 

The Legend of Tayos is built on a foundation of archival footage, interviews, a wealth of footage from the legend's early days, mesmerizing animation, and modern-day interviews with those who were on expeditions and those who've researched it. The end result is a film that is intellectually satisfying and fiercely interesting from beginning to end. 

Semblantes includes Swiss author Erich von Daniken, whose 1973 book "The Gold of the Gods" explores Moricz's work. Stanley Hall's 1976 expedition is also included here and adds fascinating dimensions to the film and its story. Several years in the making, The Legend of Tayos explores idealism and how it pushes us to search beyond our boundaries. However, Semblantes also acknowledges and puts forth what happens when the human ego and individual agendas start to get in the way. 

Available now via most major streaming outlets, The Legend of Tayos is a well-researched, engaging, and thought-provoking feature documentary. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic